Search location by ZIP code

NEWS ARCHIVE

Advertisement

Some jury members selected in Katrina flooding case

Lawyers for both sides Monday questioned an initial panel of 19 prospective jurors, disqualifying 13 of them. Several of them said they owned property damaged during or after Katrina while others said they have relatives whose property flooded in Jefferson Parish.

Lawyers for both sides Monday questioned an initial panel of 19 prospective jurors, disqualifying 13 of them. Several of them said they owned property damaged during or after Katrina while others said they have relatives whose property flooded in Jefferson Parish.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 6:17 PM CST Jan 13, 2014

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT JEFFERSON PARISH OFFICIALS,FOR ALLEGEDLY CAUSING THEIRNEIGHBORHOODS TO FLOOD DURINGHURRICANE KATRINA.RESIDENTS SAY RAIN WATERCOLLECTED IN THE STREETS ANDCOULDN'T BE PUMPED OUT,RESULTING IN WIDESPREADFLOODING,BECUASE THE PARISH HADEVACUATED PUMP OPERATORS SOME100 MILES AWAY. WDSU REPORTERANDY CUNNINGHAM ISCOVERING THE CASE LIVE FROM THEPARISH COURT HOUSE INGRETNA. ANDYDAY ONE OF JURY SELECTION IS INTHE BOOKS. ONLY ABOUT HALF OFTHE JURY HAS BEEN SEATED AT THISPOINT. SO THEY WILL HAVE TORETURN TOMORROW AND TRY AGAIN.30-50,000 PROPERTIES INJEFFERSON PARISH SAWFLOOD DAMAGES RELATED TOHURRICANE KATRINA. ACATASTROPHE...THE PLAINTIFFSLEAD COUNCIL DARLENE JACOBS SAIDINAN EARLIER INTERVIEW WITH WDSUTHAT COULD HAVE BEENAVOIDED."Darlene Jacobs: the termverdict means truth and thetruth is going tocome out in that courtroom.."JACOBS ALLEGES JEFFERSON PARISHAND ITS FORMERPRESIDENT AARRON BROUSSARDFAILED TO FOLLOWTHE PARISHES "DOOMSDAY PLAN" ANDEVACUATED MORE THAN 200PUMP OPERATORS HOURS BEFORE THESTORM ...Darlene Jacobs: they were pumpoperators specifically doingthat job during a hurricane andhe arbitrarily took them off ofthepumps and a result of that theentire parish flooded, withcatastrophic results.""Margie Seemann/Citizens forGood Gov't: I have 4 daughters,who all own homes in Metairie,all four of them had water intheir homes andwe blame and we blame Aaronbroussard.."MARJIE SEEMANN WITH CITIZENS FORGOOD GOVERNMENTISNT PART OF THE CLASS-ACTIONLAWSUIT, BUT SYMPATHIZESWITH THOSE WHO ARE.Margie Seemann: Aaron Broussardshould have been looking out forthecitizens of Jefferson, that washis job as parish president andhedidn't do his job."INSIDE THE GOVERNMENT CENTERMONDAY, SEVERALPOTENTIAL JURORS SAID THEIRHOMES WERE FLOODEDAND THEY WEREN'T 100 PERCENTSURE THEY COULD BEFAIR AND IMPARTIAL WHEN COMINGTO A DECISION. THEJUDGE SAID ...BROUSSARD WHODEFENDED HIS DECISIONSHORTLY AFTER THE STORM.Aaron Broussard/Former JPPresident: I know I made theright decision, that's the onlything that's important, that Isleep atnight. If I made the wrongdecision and somebody died inone of thesepumping stations, sir I wouldnever forgive myself."WOULD NOT BE CALLED TOTESTIFY.... HE IS CURRENTLYSERVING AN UNRELATED CORRUPTIONCONVICTION INNORTH CAROLINA PRISON.BROUSSARD WAS AMONG A LENGTHYLIST OF POTENTIAL WITNESSES WHOCOULD BE CALLED TO TESTIFY THISWEEK. JURY SELECTION WILL RESUMETOMORROW MORNING. REPORTING LIVEFROM GRETNA AC WDSU NEWS.norman ad-lib thanksATTORNEY'S FOR THE PARISH WOULDNOT COMMENT TODAY.THE TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO LASTABOUT A WEEK.JUST INTO THE WDSU NEWSROOM...

Some jury members selected in Katrina flooding case

Lawyers for both sides Monday questioned an initial panel of 19 prospective jurors, disqualifying 13 of them. Several of them said they owned property damaged during or after Katrina while others said they have relatives whose property flooded in Jefferson Parish.